The Courier News from Blytheville, Arkansas · Page 14

IS" RrWTEW JWI I, The Poisoned People Radioactive Ash Fell Like Light Rain on Marshalls EDITOR'S NOTE — A shifting wind cast radioactive ash along an hmrted path after the March 1 testing; of the hydrogen bomb. The was injury to two score natives — and a petition to the United Nations which sums up the Marshall Islanders' feelings toward the radioactive danger and the loss of their land. To get the facts at the *cen«, AP correspondent William J. Waugh went from Honolulu to By WILLIAM J. WATJGH jsons on Rongelap and 154 on Utirik KWAJALEIN, Marshall lS-! were ex P° sed °/ endangered to i *j M O lands, May ^ that they were re- the Marshall^ and spent 10 day* interviewing injured person* and their leaders, and also personnel who run the atomic tests. This is the first of two stories reporting: his preliminary findings. They were delayed by censorship in the Defense Department, the Atomic Energy Commission and the State Department. Only minor deletion* were made in the original copy, however. sisted of representatives of Joint j been the best. But there is a cer- Task Force 7; commander in chief I tain amount of sadness among the DYESS NEWS MM. S. K. JACOM Pacific Fleet; high commissioner, ' - { J I " j(,HIV/'*V-VtA*V***l»*»V*** i*VA*!V_r CI.VV ***/&gt;» *, ***-. call themselves 4 the poisoned | utirik pe0 pie have gone back, but people." j the Rongelapers must wait a year They are the 82 natives of j—until their atoll is considered Rongelap Atoll who were show- j ered by radioactive ash from! the March 1 explosion of a hydrogen bomb. moved from their home atolls. The | Trust territory of Pacific Islands; people of Rongelap. "My people don't feel good about One of them, John Anjin, said the ash rained down for 24 hours. "It looked like salt," he said. "It came down like a light rain. You could feel it strike your skin. It burned when it touched." Some of the '"poisoned people" lost their hair. Others were burned. Almost all of them are cured now —but they have been banished from their homes for a year. They are among the Marshall Islanders who have petitioned the United Nations to end atomic experiments in this area—or at least to see that the United States observes closer precautions. Th« Marshall Islands, midway between Bago and the Philippines, came under TL S. control in the war 10, years ago. In 1947 the United States became their trustee under TJ. N. authority. The islands are low coral atolls with a population of About 11,000. Anjin, a Rongelap leader, described the March 1 explosion: "First saw light, then smoke. Smoke wenr up, up and right through the clouds. Later heard and felt blast. Wind so strong some people fell down. It banged doors." Of the 82 Rongelapers, about 45 suffered radiation burns. Many of these were slight. One man, 39- year-old Toma Naril, still has a bad burn on the back of his right ear, three months after the explosion. He was fishing in a canoe when the ash began falling. "Some were frightened," said a Rongelap medical aide. "By night children were crying. Many adults were sick." A few days after exposure, some of the residents began losing their hair. Three days after the blast a destroyer arrived to evacuate the residents. All started .taking showers then. The evacuation from Rongelap and Utirik was completed in two days. The affected people received the Atomic Energy Commission's j not going home," Anjin observed. engineer contractors 'Holmes and! "We fear we may have the fate Narvert and the native magistrates of Rongelap and Utirik. It was decided the Utirik people could return home, with adequate water and food supplies to be furnished them. It was determined the Rongelap people would have to stay off their atoll for a year. They will live, meantime, on 14- acre Ejit in the Majuro Atoll. There the AEC contractors have built an entirely new village of 27 buildings. "There is anger among some people," Anjin said. "I think it will j disappear if we get back home. They trust the American people." He said the Rongelapers have been well taken care of since their arrival on Kwajalein—with all the food, clothing, medical care and entertainment they need. The Mar- shallese people are movie fans. They like hillbilly and Hawaiian music. Americans in the area felt a personal responsibility for the natives brought to Kwajalein. Mrs. Percy W, Clarkson, wile of the command- medical assistance here on the ing officer of the task force, rallied Native* of Bikini and Eniwetok mtolls were uprooted in 1946-47 to way for atomic experiments. ifce March 1 blast the 82 per- I Kwajalein Atoll. A top medical team was flown from the United States, arriving March 10. In April a survey party visited wives of naval personnel in a clothing drive for the women and children. All the evacuated persons I talked with have been em- the two affected atolls. This con- phatic that their treatment has Linda Sue Gets Lots of Mail, But Not from Mars By JULIUS GOLDEN ALBUQUERQUE LB — Everybody's writing to little Linda Sue Russell—except the Martians. The 9-year-old "Little Girl Who Wrote the Martians" is receiving » stream of letters offering advice. prayer, thanks and hope from all over the country- Linda Sue recently wrote her simple letter addressed to Mars. It said: "What business I am -writing right." A young- boy from Mobile, Ala., who doesn't want Linda Sue's schoolmates to laugh at her. wrote: "I am the Martian you wrote to and I would like to stop war in the earth too. I'm afraid I can't come to your city but I can write to you." The lad asked Linda Sue to draw another map showing where he should land his space ship. On about is to stop toe earth people crude drawing of the bottom of the letter was a his celestial from fighting. All they have is war, war, war and I'm getting tired of it, so be here." The Martians never carne. But grateful people answered for them. "Bless your heart and more power to you" wrote a Santa Monica, Calif., woman. "Keep up your courage and believe in your ideals. Surely it is a thrill to know that a child has the vision of what is transport. A letter of praise arrived from the SFCon, call letters for the 12th annual Science Fiction Convention, to be held soon in California. "We can't promise you that there will be any martians present." the letter said. However, it made Linda Sue an honorary member for the convention and invited her to attend. The letters keep coming. Some tell of seeing flying saucers in the hope Linda Sue won't give up her dream and will go ahead with her plans to see the Martians "in my own spaceship." Linda Sue's mother, Mrs. Arthur Russell, said: "Linda Sue and I will try to answer as many letters as we can. We feel very thankful for them." An editorial in a New Bedford, Mass.. newspaper, enclosed by "a grandmother (an old one)," seemed to sum up the thoughts of most of those writing Linda Sue. The editorial concluded: "In the meantime, the rest of the inhabitants of the war-weary earth may be assured that peace. with or without help from outer space, is far from unattainable as long as there exist the faith and hope of a rising generation typified bv Linda Sue." Don't buy auto insurance blind! Before you spend another dollar for auto insurance, compare Allstate's low rates and other advantages. You'll see why the number of Allstate policyholders has more than doubled in less than three years. Today over two million car owners are getting the really better value you'd expect from the company founded by Sears. Get the facts about Allstate's fast, fair claim settlements and many extra benefits before you buy. Ask, too, about Allstate's low cost Comprehensive Personal Liability Insurance. Phone or visit your AJktate Agent today... LO.GUERIAN 190t W. Vim St. Phone 3-3159 M M mfc •imitliM MAa'PA m •&gt;• J k*ul* iiiitfc ^^^^ wm um mgnwcjy, jWm if m |OM MMR WrTPi ALLSTATE ^•W ^A INSVIAMOf • • M F A N Y in Anltlinois cerooroHon founded by $f&lt;irs,fo&lt;»bi;ctor&gt;dC». of Bikinj." The 200 Bikinians. moved from island to island, are no\y °n isolated Kili, inaccessible many months of the year because of heavy surf. Physically, Rongelapers today bear few signs of their exposure. Those who lost hair are getting it back. Thirteen of the men made a brief visit to their home atoll to recover s$me of the possessions left behind. All the residents have been compensated for the lost coora crops. Did these people have any message for the American people? Paul Irujimman, 38, spoke up in Marshallese: "Please tell them not to do the same thing again—throw the bomb. We didn't do anything wrong." (A second dispatch to appear tomorrow tells the story of the petition and of the islanders' feeling* toward the United States.) MLss Pauline Williams of Searcy has returned to the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. M. Wil- ;iams for the summer months. MLss Barbara Gail and brother, Benny Davis, of West Ridge spent last, week here with their sister, Mrs. Odis Rice and Mr. Rice. The Rev. and Mrs. Carl Appling and son, Alton spent last Sunday at Pocahontas visiting her grandmother. Mrs. H- Wells. Mr- and Mrs. Jimmy Smith of Osceola spent, the week end here as guests of his mother, Mrs. Prank Kenny and Mr. Kenny. John and Norman Wood of Pontiac, Mich., Mr. and Mrs. T. W,. Wood and children, and Mr. and Mrs. Ransford Funk and children of Memphis, were week end guests of their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Tom Wood. Lynn Cox. Mrs- Leonard Williams and Mrs. Jack Blackard enrolled Monday morning for the summer term at Arkansas State College, Jonesboro. Mr- and Mrs. James Millway of Chicago, III., Mr. and Mrs. Reece Brazil! and daughters of Blythe- j ville were guests Sunnday of Mr.; and Mrs. Richard Shelton. i The Rev. and Mrs. H- B. Stone} were in St. Louis four days last! week attending the Southern Bap- j tist Convention. Miss Janell Cox of Memphis, Mr. and Mrs. Berna Lee Cox and children of Little Rock, Mi-, and Mrs. i Cohen Cox and children of Marion, Ark., were week end guests of their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Cox. Murl Gene Dallas of California and daughter, Jean ,of Memphis. are visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dallas- Mr, and Mrs. Billy Ollie of St. Louis are parents of a son born June 2. Mrs. Ollie's mother. Mrs. Virgie Southern left Fridav to see h«r n«tr mncUoc. who if tlao the grandson of Mn. Bena Buiord of Dyes*. Mr*. Alva LaH returned thi* week end from Akron, O., where she has been visiting the past three weeks. , Airman 3/c Bobby William* of Chanuu; Air Force Base, Rantoul. Ill-, spent th* week end here with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Williams. Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Dean of Memphis spent .Thursday night in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dean. Miss Betty Turner of Kansas City. Mo., spent the week end as guest of the Rev. and Mrs. W. W. Peterson. Charles (Buddy) Tacker of Flint, Mich., spent the week end here with his father. T. W. Tacker. Miss Sherry Tyler of Fort Worth. Tex., came Thursday for a visit with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Tyler. Mr. and Mrs. Burl Jennings and children of St. Louis spent the week end here with their grandparents, Mr- and Mrs. W. L. Williams. Sr. The Rev. and Mrs. W. M. Robbins of Grants Pass. Ore., moved here Monday to take up his duties as pastor of,the Church of Christ. Mr. and Mrs. Calvin McNair and daughter. Sherry, spent the week end viaitinr their parent*, Ifr. *nd Mrs. John Easley at Blytheville and Mr. and Mrs. A. McNair at Caruthersville. Mo. Joe Gooch ha* moved hi* family from Harrisburg Corner to Dye*s last week. Cpl. Kenneth Nichols of California came Friday for a visit with relatives before leaving Monday for Fort Knox. Ky. Mrs. Charles Pannel of Zion, 111. is visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Buddy Humphreys. Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Warhurst and children of Ml&gt;mphis spent the week end here with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Huff. Jerry Ray Lin ton spent Saturday night with Steve Wayne Balch. Airman 3/c Orville Lee Modesitt left Sunday night for Greenland, after a two-week visit here with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Modesitt. Mr. and Mrs. Carl Craig and Mr. and Mrs. Jim Maddox of Flint, Mich., spent the week end here and at Lepanto and attended the cemetery working at Nichols cemetery near Lepanto. Mr- and Mrs. W. L. Jacobs and son, Ronnie, spent Sunday at Whitton with her parent*, Mr. and .Mrs- T. L. Freels. 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